The Black and the Blues - Research Paper Example

Name Professor Course 7 May 2012 The Black and the Blues Contrast and tensions of the environment and society fill the daily lives of human beings with either excitement or anxiety. Every situation can be viewed in several ways depending on what perspective people are looking at as the cliche goes, one can either say that a glass is half empty or half full and this determines the outlook in life if we’re optimistic or the other way around…

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” which depicts the distinct difference between their personality and insights can be considered as the focal points of the story. Truly in the trajectory of life, people are pushed and weathered with numerous battles either economically, personally, socially, or conflicts within the family. Through these most who prefer to stay on the safe side, surrender and be submissive to what is dictated by the society as they deem that this is a more practical and rational path to take. For the other free spirits, they opt to follow their dreams no matter how surreal the idea may seem yet for them it is something worth believing and following. Baldwin’s story though written in 1957 depicted a crucial message on bitter realities within the society which strongly affected him and the black community of his time and still somewhat remained unchanged in some parts of the world today. The story focused on the narration of an algebra teacher in Harlem who struggled to earn and maintain a middle class status and keep his wife and kids on a safe part of the society; and his antonym relationship with his brother Sonny, a man who elected to navigate the road less traveled and pursued to become a jazz pianist though ended up behind bars from possession and addiction to heroin. Trimmer and Urbana (p.165) discussed that the differences between the brothers represent the division within the black community where the narrator represents the middle class men who strives to live the American dream and aspires for an improved standard of living in the United States; while the other group, as represented by Sonny, are those who just accept the fact that they will forever be locked up from the privileges the white people savor. Take note that the setting happened on a post war as the narrator cited his military service to the US government. It is an era where people, particularly the blacks, are rallying for equality and their war against racism. The narrator tried to understand his brother and struggled to reach out to find answers to his questions though remained blindly to accept the truthful answers. The story reminds us on the importance of listening and true understanding in every form of relationship and in using these rather than coercion or rigid authority. There was a scene in the story, after their mother’s funeral, when they discussed the future of the teenage Sonny. There was tension between the brothers as Sonny declared that he wants to be a jazz musician while the older brother sees that dream to be irrational. This scene together with the one when he offers his wife Isabel’s place to be Sonny’s home manifests the narrator’s sense of responsibility to his younger brother’s welfare. Throughout the story, issues on racism and inequality were strongly reflected. During his time there was strong discrimination for the black people in the racist America. On strong reflection of Baldwin’s personal struggle is the part of the story where the narrator recollects the death of their uncle who was driven over by a group of drunken white Americans and recklessly left the carcass on the street. Depression from racism was not confined to the character’s family but it extends to the entire black community during that time (Reilly 56). Baldwin succeeded in
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